G
oogle is expanding its Search tab in the Play Store to Android tablets and foldables, a move that seems counterintuitive for large-screen devices. The new feature, which first launched on phones, adds a fifth tab to the navigation rail, replacing the "Search apps & games" search bar at the top-left corner.
On tablets and foldables, this change leaves a significant amount of empty space in the app bar, where the Play Points counter, notifications bell, and avatar menu are now relegated to the opposite end. In contrast, Google Photos, which also features a search tab, includes a dedicated lookup field in its app bar.
The Search tab on Android devices is now a two-tap process, requiring users to tap the magnifying glass icon twice to access search with an open keyboard. This design choice deviates from common conventions and may not provide enough utility to justify a dedicated page for search, as suggested by grouped search results under "You might like" and "Explore games/apps".
